Matt Eberflus defends himself — and Shane Waldron — on Caleb Williams' film study

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams addressed the newsy revelations of the Seth Wickersham book "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback" directly at his only press conference of the offseason program on May 28 at Halas Hall. But he was a little sheepish, if not embarrassed, when asked about what arguably was the most serious charge — that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron left him on his own for film study.

"That was a funny one that came out," Williams said. "It wasn't that I didn't know how to watch film, it was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways, so I can watch more film, I can gather more information — so when I do go out there on gam day that information that I gathered through Monday when we got back ... up to game day ... I can gather it, I can see it, I can react and it's not me sitting there thinking so much about the rules and these different things."

Frankly, that really didn't address the charge — or at least the implication — that Waldron and the Bears coaching staff under Matt Eberflus left Williams on his own when it came to film study. And he wasn't pressed on that matter.

Eberflus addressed the issue this week in an appearance on "The Doomsday Podcast" with Ed Werder. There was a heavy sigh when the subject came up. I'm assuming it was Eberflus's.

“I would say this: In the development of the quarterback position, and really all my positions at my time with the Bears, we always had daily coached film sessions," Eberflus said. "That was all through the entire year. So, that’s what I observed. That’s where it was. ... That's really all I have to say about it, but that's where it is."

The Bears were considered fortunate to hire Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator after Pete Carroll was pushed out in Seattle after the 2023 season.

We still haven't heard from Waldron, who is now the Jaguars' passing game coordinator. And it's almost certain he will not go into any more detail than Eberflus did whenever — if ever — he is asked about Williams' criticism.

Whether he addresses it or not, Waldron will continue to be a culprit for his role in the Bears' 2025 season that failed so spectacularly (much of the damage done after Waldron was fired in Week 11) that it forced the Bears to break the bank — a reported $13 million a year — and hire the People's Choice, Ben Johnson, as head coach.

And while the piling on of Waldron continues every time his name comes up, it's a little one-sided. The Waldron-Williams failure in 2025 also leaves Williams with something to prove, and the hiring of Johnson provides a perfect litmus test for the young quarterback's development. It's unlikely Johnson will be getting the blame if this coach/quarterback marriage doesn't work.

The Bears fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator on Nov. 12, 2024 — after nine games of the 2024 season.

And let the record show that while Waldron turned into a bad hire, he wasn't a bad hire at the time. The Bears, in fact, were considered fortunate to get him — after Pete Carroll was pushed out by the Seahawks after the 2023 season. Waldron was the guy who turned journeyman Geno Smith into a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2022 and 2023. Russell Wilson, while not the star he was in his prime, had a 103.1 passer rating and made the Pro Bowl under Waldron in 2021.

Waldron was the guy who was hired by Bill Belichick, worked for Sean McVay and was hired by Carroll. He had play-calling experience. He was a clear upgrade over Luke Getsy. It's unlikely he suddenly turned into a bad coach the moment he stepped into Halas Hall (though he wouldn't be the first!). In 10 months, he went from being the right guy at the right time (from limbo in Seattle to coaching the No. 1 overall pick in the draft) to being the wrong guy at the wrong time (struggling for a head coach under fire who needed to shake things up after the Hail Mary loss to the Commanders ignited an organizational free fall).

The hiring of Shane Waldron was bad timing and a bad fit, which happens in the NFL. In fact, it happened with the Lions in 2021, when Dan Campbell demoted and then fired veteran coach Anthony Lynn as offensive coordinator. "It just wasn't a fit," Campbell told Lions reporters in January of 2022. "You want it to be. But we never found our groove or our rhythm. Sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want."

Lynn's demotion led to Ben Johnson being given passing-game coordinator responsibilities for the final nine games of the 2021 season, which led to Johnson earning the coordinator's job in 2022, which led to Johnson being named head coach the Bears. Funny how those things work.